Children of the Screen

I think Hannah Baylon’s article, Children of the Screen, gives us a painfully honest look at our society and what we value in life as people. If we look thirty, twenty, or even ten years back in time, we can see a society that is not obsessed with the latest video game or giant television, but rather one that values more simple things in life—things that do not require us to sit inside and veg in front of a screen. We are completely surrounded and, in some ways, I think we are controlled by the media. For example, for many of us, the media dictates what we should wear, who we should look like, what we should own to be happy, and what things are most important in life. Like Hannah Baylon said, most of us have gotten into a habitual way of living. We go to work (or school) for most of the day, come home exhausted, and then all we want to do for the rest of the night is sit back, relax, and watch sports or some other program. I, myself, have tried not to fall into this cycle, and for the most part I have been successful, but it is very tempting to dive into a comfortable routine. I sometimes find myself dropping my backpack onto the floor, laying down on my bed and either turning on the T.V. or checking my facebook profile (or both) immediately when I come back from classes. However, I am not one of the people that does this every day, as Baylon’s article suggests. I find pleasure in playing outside, going to the Rec, and playing the piano to pass the time. I think that enjoying nature, hanging out with friends, and picking up a hobby are essential in preserving our “true nature” as humans. We were not meant to sit all day and watch television or play video games. Although I think that it is important to relax and veg every once in a while, it is more important to be spontaneous and use our bodies the way they were meant to be used—in motion. I am concerned about our future as humans. In my lifetime, I have seen small, tube T.V.s transform into huge flat-screens and amazingly realistic video games sprout from weird, pixilated digital creations. I can’t even imagine what the next fifty years will bring in terms of technology. I can’t even begin to imagine what our children and grandchildren will live like and how their lives will be affected by growing technology. My hope for them is that they will not grow up with their faces constantly thrust in front of a screen. Unfortunately, as time goes on, that looks more and more like a future reality. If I had to choose one upside to our screen age reality, even though there may be quite a few, I would say that we are kept well informed by the media and news. We are able to find information or breaking news in a split second via the internet and television. Still, overall, I think that the cons outweigh the pros as our society slowly slips into our screen age reality.

Dorian Gray

This is a film that tells the story of a young man named Dorian Gray. In the beginning, his friend Basil Hallward is painting a portrait of him. Dorian is a very handsome young man, and as he gazes at the beauty of his portrait, he makes a wish that somehow the picture would age instead of him so that he could keep his young features. However, as we soon find out, Dorian Gray, though a handsome young man on the outside, has a very ugly soul. As he hurts the ones he loves and constantly acts selfishly, his portrait reflects his ugly heart. He, as he once wished, remains young and handsome, but he begins to notice that his picture is getting more and more old and hideous looking. He tries to hide it from view and locks it away in an upstairs room. As time goes by, Dorian remains looking young as others around him grow older. His portrait, however, continues to reflect his wicked heart. He even kills Basil Hallward to keep him quiet about it. Meanwhile, rumors begin to circulate about Dorian’s wicked and ugly nature. Although he looks like a gentleman on the outside, people begin to notice that his looks are deceiving. Eventually, he becomes too concerned about people seeing his painting and grows to hate the look of it. In an attempt to destroy what he created with his foolish wish, he stabs his picture in the heart. When he does this, the portrait returns to its original beauty, but he himself is also killed. I think the “meaning” or theme of this film is that you can’t hide who you truly are. Even though Dorian Gray was a youthful and handsome looking man on the outside, his soul was dirty and rotten. Soon, people began to see beyond his handsome features into his cold heart. His portrait demonstrated this theme even better because it showed who he was as a person rather than what he looked like as a handsome human being.
For the scene, I chose the part when Dorian Gray murders Basil Hallward. This scene takes place toward the end of the movie. In this scene, Basil insists on seeing his masterpiece that he gave to Dorian. Dorian refuses, but eventually takes Basil up to the upstairs room where it is locked away. When Basil sees the portrait, he is horrified and calls it monstrous. He thought that Dorian had destroyed the painting, but in fact, it had destroyed Dorian. Basil decides to pray for his friend, Dorian, because he realizes the monster that Dorian has become on the inside. Dorian takes advantage of Basil’s downward cast eyes, sneaks up behind him, and stabs him in the back. This scene is very interesting to me because I think it illustrates how truly wicked and cold-hearted Dorian has become, and he is determined to keep his secret from everyone. My favorite part about the scene is after Dorian kills Basil, the lantern is swinging from the ceiling. For a few seconds, the camera focuses on Dorian’s face, as it emerges from darkness into light, then plunges into darkness again because the light from the lantern is moving. This further demonstrates to me how Dorian may look handsome, but his heart is cold and dark. If you look closely enough, you can see who people really are beneath their outward appearance.

Who is that Person?

For the “Who is that Person” assignment, I chose a portrait of an elderly couple sitting in a room on wooden chairs. I don’t know why I chose this one over the others; I guess I just liked the colors, and it looked like a pleasant setting. When I look at the portrait, the first thing that jumps out at me is the simplicity of the setting. I think this couple has gotten fed-up with the complicated things in life, and they just wanted to get back to basics. Their clothes are quite simple, but it doesn’t look like they are wanting in any way. They look relatively pleased with their lifestyle and are content to just sit in a room and enjoy each other’s company. The woman looks like a very quiet person. She is seated with her hands folded and a slight smile across her face. I think, just by looking at her, she was a stay at home mom. I guess I just get a gentle and loving vibe from her. She doesn’t look necessarily concerned or worried about life. Instead, I would say she is more curious and reflective. Now that her children are grown, she has time to just sit back, relax, and think about her past and the little things in life that she once took for granted, like the tulips to her left, for example. She once may have been full of energy and spunk, but now she is tired and enjoys passing the time in silence and reflection. The man with her (who I assume is her husband, but have no way of knowing) looks like he might be a retired businessman. He is wearing a matching set of pants and a jacket. His face looks very interested as he’s peering into a book. He, like his wife has gotten tired of the hustle and bustle of daily life and now takes pleasure in the little things. His face is not in a smile, nor is it in frown. Rather, it is a feature that suggests that he is wholly devoted to the moment. He could sit there, listen to the ticking of a clock, and look at a book all day, and he would be content. He prefers a good book to a television program any day and likes to ignore modern technology, almost as if he were living in the past. His hair is getting gray and balding in the back, but he doesn’t mind. He has accepted his old age and is embracing the consequences of his age. The couple doesn’t bicker and quarrel like a cliché old couple. Instead, they spend their days in their wooden chairs reading and listening to the sounds of their old house.

K-Slice Test

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